No. Insurance carriers, adjusters, and restoration professionals use a third party pricing system, called Xactimate, to determine industry standard rates for restoration. Since all parties agree to the pricing of Xactimate, the difference in calculated restoration estimates are items or steps being included or excluded within the system. The pricing should be close to or equal, allowing homeowners to pick the best expert, not the cheapest.
Once you’ve contacted us about your emergency, one of our IICR certified technicians will be dispatched to your location promptly to assess the situation and provide additional information.
Absolutely not. Responding quickly is critical in our business. Having a professional onsite quickly will help minimize costs and further damage. We are the experts in our industry. Most insurance providers trust our expertise to do the proper mitigation before they arrive. We make every effort to ensure we are not completing work that is outside the scope of your insurance coverage.
We do not need the claim number to begin damage repair services. We will need the claim number before the job is complete in order to bill your insurance company. Once you receive it, please contact our Fort Myers office.
If you file an insurance claim, we recommend discussing relocation with your insurance adjuster. Here are some things to consider as you determine what’s best for you: safety concerns, odors, electricity, and noise from equipment.
Noise is the number one complaint we receive from property owners that stay on site during remediation and mitigation. Air movers and dehumidifiers create a lot of noise and make your property drafty for the days they are onsite. It is crucial to the damage repair process that equipment remains on. If the noise is disruptive, you may want to consider relocating during the process.
WATER DAMAGE: Drying time for water mitigation is determined by a number of factors that include location, duration and source of water, types of building materials, weather conditions, and how quickly emergency services begin. Through consistent monitoring and evaluation, we can determine when drying is complete. For example, carpet may feel dry to the touch, but the padding and sub-flooring beneath may still be wet. While your specific case will need to be considered, we can tell you, on average, it may take between 3-5 days or more.
FIRE & SMOKE DAMAGE: There are many variables involved in fire and smoke damage repair, making it difficult to predict exactly how long these works will take. Our technicians will review the scope and expected schedule of events with you once the initial inspection has been completed.
Our technicians will monitor equipment to ensure the best results in the shortest amount of time. It is important to the drying process that the equipment remain on at all times in the specific location placed by the technicians. Please notify our Fort Myers office immediately if there is an interruption in power or if the equipment turns off.
If you prefer to be there, we will happily work around your schedule. If you prefer not to be there or cannot be there, we can provide your property with one of our secure lock boxes for a spare key. We will need you to be on location for the initial visit to sign paperwork, receive information about the project, and have the opportunity to ask questions. We completely understand that this is not always possible and are available to work with you to make sure that all these items are handled remotely.
Not typically. If items need to be moved, we will let you know in advance and our team will not work with you and your insurance adjuster to determine the specifics, to assist in moving.
We recommend you make a list of non-restorable items (including food items). Be sure to label what the item was, the quantity, the year of purchase, and the cost or approximate cost. Ask your adjuster if they have a certain form they would like you to use and be sure to make a copy for yourself and your adjuster. We are available to assist you through the process.
